” I was not worried, maybe people were worried,” said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says despite facing a backlash from the fans after the poor start to the season, he always knew that with a bit of patience he would turn things around.
This comes after the Moroccan coach led the Buccaneers to their fourth straight MTN8 title after they beat Stellenbosch 3-0 at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening.
A brace from Tshepang Moremi and a late goal from Tshegofatso Mabasa in extra-time earned Pirates their fourth title in a row.
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“Of course, we’re happy because the club has been winning this trophy for many years,” said Ouaddou during a post-match conference in Mbombela on Saturday night.
“For people, it’s normal, but it’s not normal because you have to perform, you need to win games against Mamelodi Sundowns, and it was not easy. Today, we played a Stellenbosch side that plays in Africa and it was not easy as well.”
‘I was not worried’
Ouaddou added that he was not worried when fans called for his head after Pirates suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening Betway Premiership.
“For me, it’s part of the process. I was not worried, maybe people were worried.
“Football needs patience sometimes, when you come to a club that has 10 new players, and you have to bring a new weapon for the club to be more dangerous.
“Sometimes, it takes time and people don’t understand. Yes, we lost two games at the beginning of the season, but you know how we lost those games, it’s not like we didn’t deserve to win. But still after two games, people want to fire the coach,” added Ouaddou.
Following their Cup triumph, Pirates will now turn their attention to the first round of the preliminary round of the Champions League where they face Lesotho’s Lioli FC at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Stellies’ Barker congratulates Barker
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has congratulated Pirates for winning the MTN8 four times in a row.
“Look, firstly I think we have to congratulate Orlando Pirates for winning a trophy four years in a row. It is not easy for them. I thought open play the first nine minutes there was no real better team than in the game, we could’ve maybe stolen it, they could’ve maybe got something but I thought it was an even match,” said Barker.
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“So, 3-0 I think it’s not a total true reflection of the game but in all honesty, they were the better team in extra-time and based on that they deserved to win it.”